Employee Assistance Plan  

Sometimes life can be a lot to handle on your own. Friendly reminder that all YMCA employees have access to the Employee Assistance Plan at no extra cost. See attached flyer. Through the EAP you have 24/7 access to speak with a specialist and get the support you need. 

Hiring WSI Staff - Referral Bonus

We are in serious need of some additional Water Safety Instructors to help with private and group swim lessons. As a community that is surrounded by bodies of water, it is vital that kids learn how to swim, and what better place to do that than in our beautiful pool with our awesome instructors. Open positions can be found here - https://www.winonaymca.org/employment

Reminder that we also have an employee referral bonus! $100 for non-leadership positions and $200 for leadership positions, following 90 days of employment. So consider your family and friends and see if someone you know is a WSI or might be interested in becoming one. 

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Staff Spotlight- We are adding a "Staff Spotlight" to our digital newsletter. Please consider completing the quick questionnaire  so we can show off our AWESOME staff to all of our members! Ask your supervisor for the form!

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$200 Employee Referral Bonus

For leadership positions, the employee referral bonus is going up to $200! We have a NEW Youth Development Director Position that will be posted soon. This is a full-time position with benefits, and oversees Summer Child Care, After School Care, Kids Corner, and potential new youth programs. Job description is attached. Help us find the right person to join our team. 

Culture of Change

We routinely get members complaining that other members are not following rules. As staff it is our responsibility to remind members of rules when we are able to, but it's also okay to encourage members to POLITELY remind other members about the rules. A culture of change and growth happens more quickly when members are involved.

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$100/$200 Employee Referral Bonus

We have AMAZING staff, and we assume that our amazing staff know other amazing people. If you refer someone who works for the Y for at least 90 days, you'll get a $100 referral bonus. We are hiring now! If you know someone who has a good work ethic and a fun personality, send them our way and you might end up with an extra $100 in 90 days. For Director positions the referral bonus is $200! Job descriptions are available on our website - https://www.winonaymca.org/employment 

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Unlimited Nutrition Café-Friendly reminder that the café in the lobby is NOT ours, with the exception of the self-serve coffee makers. Unlimited Nutrition rents the space from us, and their property is their property. Thank you for respecting their space. 

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Updated Covid-19 guidance and Vaccine Finder now available on the COVID-19 & Policies page!   

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Employee Shout-Outs & Kudos

Help us give recognition to those who have gone above and beyond to make our YMCA a place for all. Please send words of praise, news of accomplishments for your YMCA colleagues to your supervisor, or to complete the feedback form below (may remain anonymous if you wish). 

Big Kudos to trainer, Cherie, and instructor, Connie.

Cherie is our newest personal trainer and you'd never know it. Seems like she's been doing this for years. She has taken on new clients and taken over for other trainers with ease. She has picked up on our processes and protocols very quickly too. Our members LOVE her.

Connie Tariq is Connie the chameleon. Connie started out as a BODYPUMP instructor and now teaches Barre, cycling, and AquaFit in addition to BODYPUMP. She has subbed for nearly everyone and picked up additional classes. Members are RAVING about her classes.

Thank you so much to Cherie and Connie for making my job so easy! :-)- Jackie G

Just sending a huge Thank you and amazing job to Jessi for the last 8 weeks of Parent Child swim lessons. She was so much fun to work with! She was energetic, friendly, knowledgeable, caring and she knew the strengths and weaknesses of each little one in our class! I would recommend anyone to take this class, and even more so if she is the instructor! We hope to be in her class again in the future!- Amy W (mother of child in swim lessons)

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A lady stopped at the Front Desk after a class and praised Tesla and her awesome classes- "I just wanted to let you know, I do Zumba with her as well and I just did the yoga class with her and she is always fun and energetic and I love working with her. I just wanted to let you know."- Member

CONGRATULATIONS, Suzanne Redepenning on your promotion to Grants & Fundraising Director! You will be greatly missed as a regular in Aquatics and Member Services. You will be extraordinary in your new role! 

The lifeguards did an amazing job assisting with their knowledge and expertise. A big shout out also goes to mama D, Donielle Bennett. Donielle stayed with (a member) the entire time talking to her and comforting(them)  Donielle’s care and concern for our members happens daily, she really shined in this situation and I’m very proud of her. Every time our members need us, we’re there for them. Another great job from everyone.- Jackie G

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Elaina and Lily in Aquatics- Your quick response and training was remarkable to watch when we had a member in distress after a fitness class. It was very impressive watching you in action and seeing you provide the first steps of care until the ambulance could arrive. Your efforts and skills are so appreciated and help keep our members and guests safer. Major props to you both!- Lisa E, ( but I think I can speak on behalf of everyone ;) 

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Thank you so much to Sue M and Suzanne R in Member Services! Sue M, the newest team member in Member Services jumped right in on an opening when MS had an unexpected shift to fill, and Suzanne adjusted her schedule last minute to help cover part of that shift so Sue could get to her full-time job. Great teamwork, ladies!!!- Lisa E

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Shout outs to Katie, Donielle, and Rose, for teaching and lending us their talents for pop up classes, new classes, and everything they do for us- Jackie G

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Carol Bell has been awesome in going above and beyond! On more than one occasion she's helped bring towels upstairs for the front desk! She's awesome!!

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Awesome job AquaFit Instructors! Hearing a lot of praise verbally and in emails about the class! From a member: "Please tell whoever needs to know….we love Aqua Fit!!"- Lora E.

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HUGE shout out to Elaina in Aquatics. Thanks to her willingness to try something new on a just a few minutes notice, and give instruction to the afternoon AquaFit class, we were able to prevent many sad members from a last minute class cancellation. Elaina did a great job leading the group and they were very thankful and appreciative! 

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Shout out to Member Services for their diligence in merging member accounts quickly and efficiently! Their hard work helps streamline the billing process and prevent account errors and confusion. Also a huge thank you to MS for their kindness and patience shown to members who were confused and or upset about the mask mandate/overturned mandate. Sometimes it's really hard being the messenger, but they've handled the ups and downs quite well!- Lisa E (& Kristen)

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Many thanks to Elise who handled multiple phone calls and helped with some problem solving to help a parent enroll a child into one of our fantastic programs. Thank you for helping us stay true to our values and mission of being inclusive and welcoming to all, and reducing a language barrier with your bilingual talent. - Lisa E

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Props to Matthew in Member Services for a pretty impressive member interaction.  A young man who did not speak English came to the Front Desk to get membership information and Matthew was able to navigate the conversation pretty efficiently using his Spanish skills. - Lisa E 

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Congratulations to Kate in Member Services on the promotion to Member Services Lead! Thank you for all the above and beyond you do to make our team succeed! - Lisa E

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I worked with Elise at the front desk briefly last week and she is a little blonde ball of energy, positivity, fun and friendliness! If a member comes in in a funk, she makes sure they leave with a smile. She greets people, laughs with people, and ensures that they have a great experience at the Y. I learned a lot just listening to how she interacts with members.- Janneke

DeeDee and Brian recently joined our custodial team. Several staff and members have shared with me that they appreciate how hard DeeDee and Brian are working to keep our beautiful new space in good condition. DeeDee is very friendly and approachable, and Brian has been doing a great job politely enforcing our policies :-) - Janneke

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Shout out to Ben The Bat-man Carver for his help in capturing an unmasked and freeloading flying creature and escorting it back to the outdoors, where it belongs, so it can live a full life of flying in darkness and feasting on mosquitoes! -Lisa E

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I'd like to give a shout out to Katie Mueller-Freitag. Katie stepped up big time today. She subbed a group fitness class on the fly and also completed an equipment orientation on the fly. Her willingness to help our members and keep classes going is very much appreciate. Thank you for all your hard work, Katie.- Jackie G

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A shout-out to my Member Services Rep Kate! Thank you for being so flexible and willing to help out covering shifts, even on your days off, or wonky split shifts! From the very first day that we opened in this awesome facility, you've been a Rockstar in helping out whenever is needed. You are so appreciated! -Lisa E

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I would like to give a shout out to Donielle Bennett. Donielle has stepped up and out of her comfort zone working hard to become a BODYPUMP instructor. Donielle, I am so proud of you and can't wait to take your BODYPUMP class.-Jackie G

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I'd like to give a shout out to Andrea Shearer. Andrea has stepped up quite a bit recently subbing several AquaFit classes and Active Older Adult classes. She has also offered to pick up Body Sculpt classes. Thank you for your willingness, Andrea!- Jackie G

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I want to give a personal shout out to Ella Otto (trainer), Amy Lydia McNally (nutrition coach), and Taylor Rajchel (trainer), who have collectively been working with me to build healthier habits. Thank you, ladies! -Janneke

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A big thank you to Ben Kimber who spent part of his Easter here at the Y making our windows sparkle and shine!-Janneke

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I want to send a huge thank you to Jackie Goyette for her generosity regarding a locker issue I had. I am very appreciative of her kindness! Thanks much Jackie!-Linda C (member)

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 I wanted to give a shout out to Jessica & Jackie today for being so helpful to the front desk in all the things that they have going on!! I really appreciated their attention to their programs. It's amazing how smoothly it went today with all the activity. - Grateful Steph

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A new member expressed her gratefulness for the YMCA today. She joined three days ago and has come each day and has already  had several positive interactions with staff. She specifically mentioned Matt in Member Services and Katie in Wellness. She is looking forward to meeting with Katie for a PT plan to get her on track, and she's confident that Katie will help her achieve her wellness goals. 

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A member who participated in the Annual Meeting Zoom call expressed her praise for Janneke and her leadership. She said it was very impressive how Janneke handled the meeting, and that she sees Janneke out and about doing many things around the building and that she is very impressed with the YMCA's leadership and CEO. 

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Facebook post in the Winona Moms group: My son who is 6 has a fear of the water but we are out on the river all summer so it's really important for him to have some swimming skills. Erin at the Y was soooo patient with him and had some really good ideas to push him a bit to help be more comfortable.

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"Many thanks, endless thanks almost to all the folks that run the Y’s engine. It feels a privilege to be a part and witness to the good will of everyone." - Lynn Carlson

Kayone Majerus expressed her appreciation and gratitude for that "wonderful lady who takes care of the pool." She shared that Jessica has helped her so much with the reservations and waitlists and she said Jessica even swapped her personal swim time to help Kayone out. 

A member came in wanting to tell a manager that she is very appreciative and impressed with the staff who has been cleaning today. She said it makes her feel more comfortable being here seeing that cleaning is being done so diligently. She sends lots of appreciation and thanks to the cleaning crew.